Local Vendor Spotlight: Sweet Ritual Vegan Ice Cream
1. Why did you decide to make and sell vegan ice cream?
Amelia already had a crowd-pleasing recipe that she developed while working at Toy Joy in their vegan cafe. Combined with Valerie's ice cream store management experience from her years at Amy's, we figured we were in a prime position to fill a need for dairy-free ice cream. We're so excited to provide more people the magical ice cream shop experience that their dietary needs might otherwise prevent them from enjoying.
2. How long have you been a vendor at Wheatsville and what are some of your interconnections with the co-op?
Wheatsville has been carrying Sweet Ritual since January 2014. We also love seeing all of our friends in the deli like Robert, who first hired Valerie to work at Amy's Ice Creams, and our friend and former employee Nandy. Their warm smiles always brighten our day!
3. What flavor of Sweet Ritual, out of all the pints Wheatsville carries, is your favorite?
We love the new Yellowbird Hot Chocolate! Not only is it our delicious almond-based chocolate, but we got to team up with our friends at Yellowbird Hot Sauce to give it a spicy kick. An amazing collaboration all the way around.
4. What are some of the things you love at Wheatsville?
Oh, so many good things! The produce section is always full of fresh and delicious fruits and veggies. We guzzle Kosmic Kombucha's Pear of the Dog by the gallon (goes great with vegan Frito Pie!). The soaps and personal care section is great— I've fallen in love with the Wheatsville Birthday soap. We love the deli and hot food bar! The food bar is our favorite place to get a quick and comforting dinner, and we can't get enough of the buffalo popcorn tofu sandwiches.
5. Do you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share?
Here is our delicious Peanut Butter Magic Shell:
14 oz peanut butter
15 oz coconut oil
1 1/3 c powdered sugar
1/2 Tb vanilla
1 tsp salt
Melt peanut butter and coconut oil together over double boiler until melted. Or if you prefer to use a microwave, heat for 30 sec at a time alternating with stirring until melted.
Sift in the powdered sugar and salt. Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Store at room temperature to keep liquid. It will make a hard shell when it touches the ice cream!
6. Do y’all have anything new in the works?
We're expanding our line of gluten-free ice cream sandwiches with the help of Better Bites Bakery, and we've begun experimenting with ice cream cakes!
We’ve also just moved into our new shop at 4631 Airport Blvd. Suite 125. We are excited to have our very own space and the room to provide more great vegan ice cream to Austin! Keep checking our website and facebook for updates on our hours. And both Wheatsville locations are now fully stocked to meet your Sweet Ritual needs!